Mobiz 2012: Videotron Achieves Strong Position After Two Years in Mobile Market

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - Nov. 15, 2012) - Speaking at Mobiz 2012, the Québec mobile congress, Robert Dépatie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Videotron, explained how his company has differentiated itself in the mobile telephone services market, despite the presence of already well-established competitors. Mr. Dépatie took stock of Videotron's first two years in the wireless industry before an audience of technology and mobility buffs.

Videotron has bet on audacity and creativity. Rather than following in the footsteps of the dominant players, Videotron harnessed its people's expertise to exploit the full potential of mobility.

"We offered Quebecers mobile telephone service designed and developed by Quebecers," said Robert Dépatie. "That approach has been the source of our success in telephone service, cable television and Internet access service. So why not in mobility? We had to go where no one had dared go before. We therefore decided to get our mobile experts working with our video, Internet and voice experts to give Quebecers the benefit of our 50 years of expertise in entertainment and technological innovation. That was practically a first for a Canadian carrier."

Having rolled out its own advanced wireless services (AWS) network, Videotron was able to offer a service that matches Quebecers' needs. As a result, the company placed first in customer satisfaction among all eastern Canadian mobile carriers in 2011 in the respected JD Power rankings. It achieved a 92% customer satisfaction rate, compared with an industry average of 88%. Videotron has been able to distinguish itself in the marketplace because of the wide range of possibilities supported by its technological choices. Among other things, the illico mobile service brings an unparalleled wealth of content to four platforms, making it the leader in terms of channels and video on demand offerings.

Videotron's entry into the Québec mobile market was a turning point for the company. More than a million customers now subscribe to three or more of Videotron's services, a milestone to which mobile service made an important contribution.

Mr. Dépatie took advantage of the occasion to announce that Videotron will release an API related to customer mobile data usage to app developers within a few months. The API will make it easier for developers to integrate certain new functions into their apps, such as displaying the customer's current data usage before downloading a video.

"We are creative and passionate and we know Québec consumers better than anyone," said Robert Dépatie. "We are confident that we have made the right choices and that our move into mobility will secure the company's future. Beyond the technology, what will enable us to remain the most respected telecommunications company in Québec can be summed up in two words: Québec talent."

Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, and Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its interactive Digital TV service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of September 30, 2012, Videotron was serving 1,852,900 cable television customers, including 1,457,800 subscribers to its digital service. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,369,600 subscribers to its cable service as of September 30, 2012. As of the same date, Videotron had 378,300 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,249,700 Québec households and organizations. For the seventh consecutive year, Videotron was named Québec's most respected telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a Léger Marketing survey.